Who is a Classics student and what does it mean for a journal to be produced by, and for, them? We, the editors of the journal, are all Classics students. The writers of the articles within this, the first edition of NEO, are Classics students. Our readers, whether studying for an A level or a degree, whether they have been lecturing for many years or some aspect of the classical world has been a fascination since childhood, are in this way all Classics students. As we see it, we are all Classics students and so this journal belongs to everyone. In this knowledge, we warmly welcome you to the first issue of NEO – The Classics Students’ Journal, the culmination of one year of hard work by five students at different stages of their academic career; a group of young people who share a common passion and a common goal in the creation and development of this journal. During the initial launch of NEO and the announcing of our first call for papers we were stunned by the positive response from professors and students alike from all over the world. We witnessed a huge social media response, messages of support and advice from established academics at institutions from Northwestern University to the University of Oxford, and prospective author submissions from Brazil to Singapore. From this huge influx, there emerged eight especially promising submissions which not only successfully journeyed through a long and rigorous peer-reviewed process of revision and development, but which also embodied the realisation of NEO’s core tenets, resulting in the brilliant articles you see before you. The first of these foundational tenets of the journal, and its main objective, is to provide opportunities for scholars at the beginning of their careers, whether that it is studying at undergraduate level or having recently completed a PhD, to be published; to share their work and ideas, and to receive their first contact with the publishing demands of the academic world. With this in mind, we ask that the more academically seasoned and experienced reader takes into consideration that the majority of the articles in NEO are the first-published papers of their authors. Nevertheless, we are confident it will be easily recognisable that every paper in this issue is the result of hard work and continued revision.NEO’s second principle is to foster interdisciplinary writing, thinking, and academia. Why create this space for young academics to take their first steps? And why interdisciplinarity? Firstly, junior scholars are set with the uphill challenge of making their way in a world that is increasingly difficult for students in the humanities. Secondly, they are faced with a world where ignorance and disinformation is growing, promoting intolerance towards people of difference, whether that is race, religion, nationality, sexuality, gender, or perceived social status. It is our duty as students and teachers, classicists and historians, philosophers and artists, as academics to fight disinformation with accuracy, and ignorance with knowledge. Is interdisciplinarity anything other than an encouragement for academics to work together, to think beyond boundaries? Thus by creating this platform for early career researchers and encouraging interdisciplinary articles in NEO – The Classics Students’ Journal, we hope to play a role, however small, in the development of tomorrow’s thinkers.

Acknowledgements

It is appropriate here to address our scientific board who provided the blind reviews and assessments of our authors’ papers; thank you. NEO would not have been possible without your years of expert experience so generously offered in the form of guidance to the editors, and as the invaluable and constructive reviews for our authors. We would like to especially thank Tony Keen, our copy editor for tirelessly and repeatedly working through drafts of this edition. To Jennifer Parker-Starbuck for all her frank and critical guidance and advice. And to Susan Deacy, for being there every step of the way, and even helping us with the infamously difficult task of naming the journal. Finally, to the authors, editors, and the phenomenal group of professionals and academics who took time away from their busy agendas to work with us: thank you all for embarking on this adventure with us, we hope this will be an odyssey for years to come.